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can't give you linux advice - would be interested in hearing from a completely linux school.
However - £8000 is not cost of a TA - they cost more than that when you add in national insurance contributions from school etc.
Half your cost probably is office - you would only need MS office on your terminal servers to run sims.
How much is a stable system worth to your school - if IT goes down most schools cease to function now so be very careful in changing.
None of your machines came with OEM licensing?
It'd be a pain but if any came with OEM XP licensing/Vista business (downgrade) or even Home at a push and some shell for logging in... and buying yourself a few more cals... it's better than losing the functioning of the schools IT because of the steep learning curve.
It is in no way a snap decision! We've been discussing the ever increasing licensing costs for the last 3 years, each year saying that linux is an option, this is just the first year she has said 'go out and research it fully'.
Other than reducing ICT provision (not an option either, the head has nixed this before), sacking a TA, changing the office system only etc... what do people suggest? All of these solutions still lead to a bill from Microsoft to license stuff continually...
XP home, like many schools who got themselves into the never-ending schools agreement cycle.Quote:
Originally Posted by dwhyte85
CALS and a front end to 'login' or effectively just map drives?Quote:
Originally Posted by localzuk
As I've said before M$ licencing is a drain on a schools funs everybody understands that, for our its something like £30k, but it is something that has to be budgeted for if you are wanting to run a M$ network. If it's not been budgeted for, then what has your finance team been doing wrong?Quote:
Originally Posted by localzuk
D
Define 'front end'. Also, OEM means 'no volume install', meaning no imaging, and having to keep track of 250 OEM keys - some of which will be long gone from their labels which the kids love to peel off.Quote:
Originally Posted by dwhyte85
Exactly OEM is no good for school or business its just not practical to have to use a certain disk and key on a ertain PC, it would be a logisital nightmare!Quote:
Originally Posted by localzuk
Keeping the school running with a dropping roll, and trying to not sack people (like they're supposed to)...?Quote:
Originally Posted by danrhodes
What's more important, the smooth running of a school built upon a state of the art network that integrates many management tools within its ICT or the sacking of a few TA's (or other staff) when teachers should be able to teach anyway without the help of assistants, assistants were never included when they were at uni I can imagine!Quote:
Originally Posted by localzuk
Or cut ICT and go to *nix and face the possibility of if it ever goes wrong the school being in the deep brown, and having to go back to M$ anyway!?
The sacking of a few TAs!!! What on earth are you going on about!? Seriously, would you be thinking the same if it was 'sacking a few technicians/network managers'??Quote:
Originally Posted by danrhodes
I'm trying to point out that there are probalby less important areas that can be cut back, intead of ICT. That is not to say that TA's aren't important as I know they are and they work very hard for very low pay!
D
Yes, and those areas HAVE been cut back. Department budgets have been slashed, library budget has been slashed to the extent that our PTA is being asked to buy books etc... What part of 'there is no money' is difficult to understand!?Quote:
Originally Posted by danrhodes
OK, if you're serious about this, I'd say 2 is a non-starter, you're going to have a nightmare with people using different kit to teach and to prepare with.Quote:
Originally Posted by localzuk
Linux clients can be persuaded to authenticate against AD, so if you're keeping some Windows infrastructure to handle the admin network it might be easier to keep your AD infrastructure for authentication, at least for now, otherwise you're looking at OpenLDAP.
Agreed, if there is no other option localz as you have pointed out and we have discussed then as Steve says maybe look at just replacing the client side? :-)